We'll Be Okay
by alliegranger13
Summary: In which Sora has a minor meltdown about Kairi becoming a keyblade wielder. Pairing: Sokai. Oneshot. Fluffy.


Sora sat on the horizontal trunk of the paupu tree, facing away from the endless oceans that surrounded the island. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his lips smashed into a straight line as he focused. There was an odd darkness in his eyes, a strange glint in his expression; it was odd looking, because most people had forgotten that Sora _had_ darkness in him. He was too good, too bright. But, here it was, etched onto his face: a horrible, terrifying darkness that grew deep within his heart.

Before him, Kairi and Riku were sparring. Riku was taking it easy on her, talking her through the fight, trying to teach her as much as possible. As their keyblades hit, it sounded like metal being torn, smashed together; with each crash, Sora cringed even further into himself.

Sora hated the idea of Kairi being a keyblade wielder. It wasn't that he didn't think she was capable—with enough training, she'd be able to hold her own—but he didn't particularly _want_ her to be able to. He much preferred the idea of him and Riku setting out on the quest, leaving Kairi at home, safe and warm and comfortable, awaiting their return. He didn't want Kairi to be in battle whatsoever. The idea of her being in any harm made his chest burn and his hands ball up into fists. His odd protectiveness over Kairi had only heightened since Yen Sid informed them that she would be in training to become a keyblade wielder, in preparations for their next quest.

Kairi stepped forwards, smashing her keyblade against Riku's; she had a grin on her face, the excitement of battle energizing her. All these years, she'd been stuck on the sidelines—now, she was in the action, too.

Riku laughed, surprised by her intensity. "Never thought you were so violent, Kairi."

"Yeah?" She laughed, swinging a side attack at him and catching him off guard. "Well, you just never pissed me off before."

"Remind me _not_ to," Riku laughed in response.

Sora watched them intently, the dark shimmer in his eye only growing shadier as the seconds passed. He knew there was no way to convince Kairi to stay home, to not be in the battle, so he'd been left with only one conclusion: teach her as much as possible, train her to the best of his ability so that he wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt. Of course, he'd _always_ be worried about her getting hurt—even if she became the most talented keyblade wielder in existence, he'd still worry—but he wanted to prepare her as best he could.

"Riku, can I butt in?" Sora piped up, blue eyes landing on the silver-haired boy.

Riku and Kairi stopped their small battle, and Riku nodded. "Sure. I was getting bored, anyways," He said, giving a friendly wink at Kairi as he trotted towards the pier. "Have fun, you guys."

Kairi grinned in response, blue eyes landing on Sora. As soon as she noticed his expression—dark, solemn—her smile faded slightly, being replaced by a concerned frown. "Sora, are you okay?"

His voice seemed deeper than usual. "Fine. Why?"

"You look…" She trailed off, blinking. "Scary."

Sora's eyebrows rose, surprised; the darkness seemed to evaporate off of his expression, replacing it with his usual friendly persona. "Oh—just…_worried_, I guess."

Kairi's fingers fiddled with her keyblade as she spoke. "You really don't want me to do this, do you?"

"Huh?"

A soft smile flickered onto her lips. "Riku told me. He said you tried to talk Yen Sid out of it." Her blue eyes flashed up to him, sharp and beautiful. "He said you were yelling."

Sora's throat felt heavy. He _had_ done that—when he'd gotten news that Kairi was beginning training for the keyblade, he marched down to Yen Sid's tower and freaked. Of course, Yen Sid had perfect reasoning for his decision, and when Sora left, he no longer had any hope of keeping Kairi at home, out of the action.

His eyes dropped to the sand by his feet. "I don't want you to be in danger," He muttered.

Kairi's voice was light and tinkly, like bells. "Funny—I don't want you to be in danger, either."

Sora blinked, voice rising slightly. "Yeah, but it's different for me—I've _done_ this before, I know what I'm getting myself into. I've fought the Organization before. I know how to handle things. You…" He trailed off for a moment. "You're too important to get hurt, Kairi."

"Are you doubting my _awesome_ keyblade abilities?" She teased.

Sora smiled, but his heart wasn't in it; he was too worried, too messed up about this to play along with her jokes. "I'm serious, Kairi," He mumbled quietly. "If you get hurt, I—look, it's just not easy for me to _let_ you go out and fight. I've been trying for so long to keep you safe, and if anything so much as _touches_ you I might just lose it."

"You can't protect me from everything."

"I can _try_."

"Sora," She sighed. "For the past couple years, all you've done is protect me and take care of me and save me. Let me take care of you for once, okay? Let me protect you."

Sora eyed her cautiously, the sadness in his blue eyes incorruptible. "I'm not the one who needs protecting."

They simply looked at each other for a long couple moments, a soft tenderness in their gaze. Kairi didn't respond; she didn't know how to. She loved Sora, felt protective of him—she wanted to fight for him, kill some heartless so that he didn't have to. She wanted to help. He had an immense weight on his shoulders, and she wanted to make his workload lighter. Maybe she could save him, like she did before.

Sora's eyes dropped. "I keep having this terrible nightmares," He said, voice quiet like a whimper, "About you getting hurt. By heartless, nobodies, Xehanort. It's like these shadows sort of eat you up, steal you away, and I'm running, running so fast trying to catch up and save you, but I never get there in time. I'm always late, and you're always gone." His voice cracked on the last sentence, and he dropped his head even more. His heart ached.

Before he knew it, she was on him, arms wrapped around him tightly. Her arms snaked around his small waist, holding him gently; her eyes were slammed closed and she breathed in his scent, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. Sora hugged her back, his chin nestling perfectly into her shoulder; her head rested against his chest. They held each other like that for a long while, trying to forget the dangers and the possibilities of reality.

"We're going to be okay," She whispered softly. "I'll protect you, and you can protect me, and we'll be okay."

His lips brushed against her shoulder. "I don't want you to be in danger."

"But that's the thing—I'll be in danger wherever I go. Last time, I was here, and they found me; it's not where I am that matters. As long as you're okay, I'll be okay. We're connected, remember? I'm always with you, and you protect me."

"What if I can't protect you enough?" He croaked, voice cracking. "I'm scared."

"You'll always protect me enough, silly," She smiled, pressing herself tighter against him. "And don't be scared—I'm always with you. I won't let you get hurt."

"Promise?" Sora murmured.

Kairi laughed. "Promise."


End file.
